FOOD EXPERIENCES ARE TRANSPORTING

It began as all good stories do, in a restaurant in Paris. Settled into a corner seat at the bar, I had the opportunity to meet my fellow diners on either side – a fashion couple from Amsterdam and restaurateurs from Colombia. As the evening progressed, so too did the dinner party. First my bar mates, once strangers, and I banded together to create a lively party of five. Then the manager joined, followed by the chef sending out off-menu dishes, the sommelier opening new bottles, and so on.

Five hours later, as we ended our multi-course feast, I was surprised by my unexpected sense of belonging. Here I was in Paris, and yet felt like I was at home in New York, having dinner with old friends. Like I lived in the 6eme arrondissement and was simply dining at my neighborhood local. As if I were Parisian.

What I've come to learn is that food experiences are transporting. They take us to unexpected places, evoke unexpected feelings and unlock unexpected new ideas.

Using food experiences as a way to discover, enlighten and, ultimately, inspire, this culinary consultancy was founded. Whether uncovering of-the-moment food trends that foster new ideation, connecting with influential chefs, purveyors and tastemakers to launch a new product or creating custom culinary activations to engage new customers, we build food strategies and experiences that take companies to where they want to be and, perhaps, to where they haven’t been before. To new innovations and creative business solutions.

Ivy Ackerman, Founder and President

IVY ACKERMAN

Ivy Ackerman has been dining out all her life. Born without the “butter thumb”, her lack of kitchen confidence has driven her to lead a life, and ultimately build a career, in and around restaurants.

In 2012, Ivy launched Butter and Egg Road, at the time a bespoke culinary events company, custom-designing dining experiences and activations for corporate clients and luxury brands. In 2016, she grew the company into today’s culinary consultancy, working with leading food & beverage, hospitality and real estate companies to better understand today’s food culture, uncover growth opportunities and leverage the power of food as a tool to drive new business.

When not eating food, thinking about food or creating with food, you can catch Ivy in NYC swinging at the Chelsea Piers driving range, singing along to a Broadway show, strategizing over a game of chess at the 92nd Street Y or exploring new neighborhoods by foot, most likely in search of new food discoveries.

THE ROAD

Butter and Egg Road is a real road in the Muskoka, Ontario, Canada.

At the turn of the century, the road was home to 14 farms, serving as a social gathering spot for locals and cottagers to come together around great food. Our consultancy’s name was conceived with this spirit of food creating community at heart. Today, the original Muskoka road is home to one remaining farm, feeding the area with fresh fruit, vegetables and some of the finest Canadian maple syrup around!